Trinamool Congress MPs protest outside Amit Shah’s office over ED raids, detained briefly
The Statesman | 9 January 2026
A group of Trinamool Congress MPs protested outside Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s office in the national capital on Friday, accusing the Centre of using investigative agencies to target the opposition. The demonstration ended with police briefly detaining some of the MPs as security moved in to clear the area.
The protest comes a day after the Enforcement Directorate carried out searches at the Kolkata office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its co-founder, Pratik Jain — an action that has triggered sharp political reactions in West Bengal.
Placards carried by the MPs read, “Bengal rejects Modi-Shah’s dirty politics.” Slogans were raised against the BJP-led government, with leaders alleging that central agencies were being deployed selectively, especially ahead of elections.
Who protested and what happened outside the Home Minister’s office
The MPs present included Derek O’Brien, Satabdi Roy, Mahua Moitra, Bapi Haldar, Saket Gokhale, Pratima Mondal, Kirti Azad and Dr Sharmila Sarkar. As the protest continued, Delhi Police intervened, citing security concerns.
Derek O’Brien and Mahua Moitra were among those detained for a short period as police tried to prevent obstruction near the premises.
Questioning the action, O’Brien said, “Why are we being detained? Look at this. You are seeing what is happening with Amit Shah’s Delhi Police. You are seeing what is happening to MPs. All our MPs have been taken into custody.”
Moitra, as she was escorted away, said, “We will defeat the BJP. The country is seeing how the Delhi Police is treating an elected MP.”
Other TMC MPs echoed similar charges. Satabdi Roy alleged that central agencies surface “only during elections,” while Kirti Azad said the raids were an attempt to win polls “in an undemocratic manner.”
ED raids in Kolkata and Mamata Banerjee’s response
The Delhi protest is directly linked to the ED searches conducted on Thursday at I-PAC’s Sector V office in Salt Lake and at Pratik Jain’s Loudon Street residence in Kolkata. I-PAC has worked as a political consultancy firm for the Trinamool Congress since 2019.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited both locations during the searches. She alleged that the agency had seized party documents, including election strategy material, candidate data and electronic devices.
Speaking to reporters, Banerjee said, “Is it the duty of the ED, Amit Shah, to collect the party’s hard disk, candidate list? The nasty, naughty Home Minister who cannot protect the country is taking away all my party documents.”
She also challenged the BJP leadership directly, saying, “If Amit Shah wants Bengal, then come, fight democratically, and win.”
The ED, however, rejected the allegations. In a statement, the agency accused Banerjee of entering Pratik Jain’s residence during the search and removing “key evidence,” including documents and electronic devices. It maintained that the searches were evidence-based, unrelated to elections, and part of a money-laundering probe linked to coal smuggling under the PMLA.
Why this matters politically
As West Bengal seeks to elect its next assembly in 2026, the confrontation has aggravated the already heated rivalry between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
The TMC describes the raids as political intimidation, while the Centre and the ED insist the action is lawful and non-political. Friday’s protest in Delhi signals that the issue is likely to move beyond Bengal, keeping the use of central agencies firmly in the national political spotlight.